What Software NI does

Software NI is a non-profit representative body for the Northern Ireland software industry, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Belfast. The organisation was established by six founding member companies — Allstate Northern Ireland, GCD Technologies, Instil, Kainos, Liberty IT, and Version 1 — which underwrote operations for the first three years. It has since grown to over 150 member companies and serves as the sole collective voice for software engineering firms in Northern Ireland, advocating for an industry that currently contributes £1.7 billion annually in Gross Value Added and employs approximately 23,000 people across an estimated 2,200 businesses. Its core mission is encapsulated in the "50 and Five by 35" vision: doubling the industry to 50,000 jobs and £5 billion in GVA by 2035.

Software NI does not develop proprietary technology; instead, it operates a portfolio of membership services and industry initiatives. Its products and programmes include a searchable membership directory, a regular newsletter, the annual Sales and Scale event, four volunteer working groups (Schools, Skills, Sales & Scale, Sector Futures), the #SoftwareForAll apprenticeship expansion project (delivered in partnership with Workplus and supported by the Department for the Economy), and a Signals research tool that feeds real-time industry data into government policy. The organisation is governed by an industry board composed of senior executives from member companies, with the CEO role (Neil Hutcheson, appointed October 2024) and Chair (Lorna McAdoo, confirmed at the 2026 AGM) providing operational and strategic leadership.

The business model is membership-based with tiered annual subscriptions priced by company size: free for micro companies (0–9 employees), £500/year for small (10–24), £2,000/year for medium (25–99), £5,000/year for large (100–499), and £10,000/year for enterprise (500+), plus a £1,000/year associate tier for non-software companies. Go-to-market is regionally focused on Northern Ireland through a self-serve Glueup registration portal, supplemented by LinkedIn, newsletters, working groups, and member events. Customer segments include software engineering companies (primary), educational institutions (Ulster University, Queen's University Belfast), and government bodies (Department for the Economy, Department of Education), with engagement centred on policy advocacy, skills development, and ecosystem building.

Name

Software NI

Legal name

Software NI

Website

https://softwareni.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Software NI is a Belfast-based non-profit trade body representing over 150 software engineering companies in Northern Ireland. Founded in 2022, it provides policy advocacy, membership services, skills development, and working groups to support the regional software industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Information Technology & Software (EDAAAPAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Software Development (Programming, Frameworks, Dev Tools) (EDABAFAA)

Keywords

• Software industry advocacy
• Industry trade association
• Membership organization
• Policy advocacy services
• Ecosystem development

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Software NI generates revenue through tiered annual membership fees based on company size, ranging from free for 0-9 employee companies to £10,000/year for 500+ employee companies, plus associate memberships at £1,000/year.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Software NI is a non-profit representative body that provides collective advocacy, policy engagement, ecosystem development, and industry support services for software engineering companies in Northern Ireland. Its core offering is tiered membership (free to £10,000/year based on company size) coupled with member-facing programs including a corporate directory, working groups, industry events such as Sales and Scale, apprenticeship initiatives like Software for All, and a Signals research tool for policy input.

Product overview

Software NI is a non-profit representative organization for software engineering companies in Northern Ireland, founded in 2022. Rather than offering a unified software product, Software NI provides a portfolio of membership services and industry initiatives including a membership directory for networking, a newsletter for communications, the Sales and Scale event program, four working groups (Schools, Skills, Sales & Scale, Sector Futures), the Software for All workforce development initiative, and a Signals research tool. These services collectively support the organization's mission to accelerate and double the size of the NI software industry by 2035.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tiered Annual Membership Program Annual corporate membership program for NI-based software engineering companies, tiered by employee count from free (0-9 employees) up to £10,000/year (500+ employees), plus a £1,000/year associate tier for non-software supporters. Membership provides policy advocacy, working group participation, directory listing, and event access.
• Corporate Membership Directory A searchable directory of corporate members allowing companies to connect and network within the Northern Ireland software industry ecosystem.
• Industry Newsletter A subscription-based newsletter delivering updates on Software NI activities, industry news, and member announcements to subscribers.
• Sales and Scale Event An annual event focused on strengthening the sales capabilities of Northern Ireland technology companies, featuring speakers, panels, and networking opportunities for founders, directors, and sales professionals.
• Working Groups Program Four volunteer working groups covering Schools, Skills, Sales & Scale, and Sector Futures, each aimed at accelerating different aspects of the NI software industry.
• Software for All (#SoftwareForAll) Apprenticeship Initiative A project focused on increasing access to software careers through apprenticeships, working with employers, educators and government to grow the number of software apprenticeships and early career opportunities in Northern Ireland.
• Signals Industry Research Tool A tool designed to gather real-time industry information to feed into government policy and help optimize policy decisions for the software sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Doubling industry size from current to 50,000 jobs and £5 billion GVA by 2035

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and supporting.

• Education MinisterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026The Education Minister attended the Software NI 2026 AGM and committed to including Digital Technology as a discrete strand within the Northern Ireland Curriculum. The minister announced a £6m STEM teacher bursary scheme including technology and IT.
• Ulster UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Ulster University is a Software NI member with multiple representatives including Colin Turner (Executive Dean) and Ian Mcchesney (Chair, NI Education Committee). Tom Gray was appointed Professor of AI and Innovation at Ulster University. The university collaborates on curriculum development and skills initiatives.
• Queen's University BelfastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Queen's University Belfast is a Software NI member with representatives on Employer Advisory Boards. They collaborate on computing school initiatives, curriculum review, and graduate employability programs. The university participates in the Early Tech Career Board initiative.
• CranmoremajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2026Cranmore is a Holywood-based firm providing AI-enabled transformation, digital managed services, and strategic consultancy to UK government, transport, and utilities sectors. They joined Software NI to support the regional tech ecosystem and help Northern Ireland achieve recognition.
• Options TechnologysupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 January 2026Options Technology is a partner for the Sales and Scale event, sharing insights on building sales capability and supporting the wider software ecosystem.
• Ormeau LabssupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 January 2026Ormeau Labs is a partner for the Sales and Scale event, supporting initiatives to strengthen sales capability in NI technology companies.
• Techstars BelfastsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 January 2026Techstars Belfast is a partner for the Sales and Scale event, supporting startup and growth ecosystem development.
• Raise VenturessupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 January 2026Raise Ventures is a partner for the Sales and Scale event, providing investment perspective on commercial readiness and sales traction.
• WorkpluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Workplus is a Software NI member specializing in early talent recruitment and apprenticeship coordination. They developed bespoke software for the #SoftwareForAll project which aims to increase software apprenticeships, particularly among women, people with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged areas. Workplus provides the coordination platform enabling easier connection and applications for apprenticeship opportunities.
• Allstate Northern IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Allstate NI is a founding member and board participant. They support the Software for All initiative, hosting apprentices and providing employment opportunities. Jim Bannon, Director of Software Engineering at Allstate NI, leads their government and business engagement team and mentors on the Protégé program.
• Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026The Economy Minister participated in roundtable discussions on software apprenticeships as part of the #SoftwareForAll project. The minister praised collaborative efforts and noted the Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund supports innovative projects to increase apprenticeship uptake among underrepresented groups.
• SymphonymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025Symphony is a leading communications and markets technology company that joined Software NI. They are committed to growing their Belfast operation by at least 50% in one year and contribute to the tech and financial services ecosystem.
• SciLeadsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2025SciLeads is a global market intelligence platform for life sciences that joined Software NI. Founded in 2016, they plan to expand from 90 to 150 people and actively support the growth of Northern Ireland's software industry through collaboration.
• Allstate Northern IrelandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founding member of Software NI. One of six founding companies that underwrote the organization for its first three years of operation.
• KainosflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founding member of Software NI. Tom Gray, CTO at Kainos, is a founding board member. Kainos is Headline Sponsor of the Sales and Scale event and a founding member that underwrote the organization for its first three years.
• Liberty ITflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founding member of Software NI. Sam Mawhinney serves on the board as Director representing Liberty IT. One of six founding companies that underwrote the organization for its first three years.
• Version 1flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founding member of Software NI. Lorna McAdoo, Head of Operations at Version 1 NI, serves as Chair of Software NI. One of six founding companies that underwrote the organization for its first three years.
• InstilflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founding member of Software NI. Tara Simpson, CEO and Founder, serves as Vice Chair. One of six founding companies that underwrote the organization for its first three years.
• GCD TechnologiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founding member of Software NI. Andrew Gough, Co-Founder and Managing Director, serves on the board. One of six founding companies that underwrote the organization for its first three years.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Technology Ireland (Ibec): Ireland's representative body for the technology sector, hosted within Ibec. Highly comparable in mission and structure: membership-funded industry voice, policy advocacy, skills initiatives, and ecosystem-building for indigenous and FDI software companies.
• ScotlandIS: Scotland's membership-based trade body for the software and technology industry. Closest direct peer to Software NI: same regional trade-association model, tiered membership, advocacy focus, and mission to grow the local software economy.
• techUK: UK-wide technology industry trade association representing hundreds of member companies. Same advocacy, policy-influence, and membership-revenue model as Software NI but operating at national scale and across all technology verticals rather than regional and software-specific.

Broad incumbents

• CompTIA: Global non-profit trade association for the IT industry, with 2,000+ member companies and a focus on workforce certification, policy advocacy, and industry research. Comparable to Software NI as a membership-funded industry voice, but operating at international scale across all of IT rather than one region.
• BCS (British Computer Society): The Chartered Institute for IT in the UK. Broader and longer-established than Software NI, BCS combines professional membership, certification, and policy advocacy across the full IT profession — overlapping with Software NI's skills and education agenda but at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• Digital Catapult: UK-wide technology innovation accelerator focused on deep tech and emerging technologies. Adjacent to Software NI in that it also convenes industry, academia, and government to grow the UK's tech base, but differs by being innovation-programme-led rather than membership-funded trade advocacy.

Regional players

• Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce: The main business membership organisation for Northern Ireland, covering all sectors. Overlaps with Software NI on policy advocacy and government engagement for NI-based firms, but is broader (cross-sector) and does not specialise in the software industry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoftwareNI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/software-ni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Software NI